Shohei Ohtani home run ball controversy shows Dodgers have tons of cash, but no class

The St. Louis Cardinals would have done a lot better.

It’s easy to say that you’re a classy organization. The general idea for a sports franchise to dish out to the public that speaks about their morals and integrity. It helps connect a dot between a team and their community. It’s something the Los Angeles Dodgers apparently suck at.

The Athletic reported that after Shohei Ohtani, whose Dodger tenure isn’t exactly rocketing out of the gate, hit his first home with Los Angeles, the team’s security and personnel went below the belt in their efforts to acquire the baseball. According to Sam Blum of The Athletic, the team refused to authenticate the ball if the fan, Amber Roman pictured above, who caught it wouldn’t hand it over. Imagine being that callous and shortsighted with your fanbase for the sake of a single home run ball.

That baseball meant nothing. First HR with Los Angeles? That’s like raving about the first diner that you wandered into after a night of partying in Vegas. Do you remember Albert Pujols’s first home run with the St. Louis Cardinals as a monumental event. Nah, but #700 sure was. And the three ones that followed.

Following a gambling/money loss mess that got worse the more it was discussed, Ohtani’s first weeks as a Dodger make him look like the horse who tripped out of the gate. It makes the team look much worse, only furthering the notion that they are a green-bodied beach whale stuffed with spending--but very short on class and integrity.

The Cardinals would have done a much better job here. They can’t spend what Los Angeles spends, obviously, but they have countlessly shown effortless displays of affection for their fans. Can you imagine the lovely Todd Thomas, aka “That One Guy,” walking up to a lucky fan in a dark black suit with an offer the ticket buyer shouldn’t refuse? Nope. Or Jim Hayes calmly strolling up to section 365 for a private chat with the home run recipient? No chance.

The Cardinals would have authenticated the ball and offered a bevy of treats to the fan for the trade, tossing in a set of very nice tickets to a future game. It would have been without hesitation or pause. The Dodgers did come out and say they’d review the action and give the fan a real experience, but one could easily say the experience is permanently tainted.

It’s the first impression that an organization makes that lives forever. That’s just the way it is. A makeup reaction to bad P.R. would make 100% of teams decide to give in and offer whatever. Doing it right in the first place makes this a non-story. As is, the event is the latest representation of Los Angeles bush league bullshit. St. Louis may not have all the money or ability to acquire whoever they want, but they have class and integrity with the way their fans are treated.

It’s the civilians who made the choice to give their evening or day to a professional sports team, buying their overpriced tickets, food, and gear. They’re making sacrifices by being there, but it’s their team and the choice is a no brainer. And then, you catch a big home run ball, only to have the team make a shady attempt to acquire it.

The Dodgers have all the cash, but they lack class.

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